


i'll kick your aff

by ianthan (jedikhaleesi)



Series: deb(d)ate [1]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, another one, but star wars this time, speech and debate au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 15:12:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15512595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedikhaleesi/pseuds/ianthan
Summary: Padmé Amidala and Obi-Wan Kenobi are debate legends. Anakin and Ahsoka are... not. Ahsoka's not sure if they'll still be alive at the end of their round.





	i'll kick your aff

They’re sitting on the lower floor of the 200 building when they get the text notification from Tabroom. Ahsoka hates the lower floor of the 200 building so, so much. It’s stuffy, there’s no air, there are too many people, and it’s a very small space.

Ahsoka has been refreshing the results page every minute, desperate to know whether or not she and Anakin had won their last round. Anakin hadn’t been any better. Despite his pretensions and quick switches between tabs, she had spotted the Tabroom page open on his computer. They were both obsessive checkers.

At last, the results are posted. “We picked up!” Ahsoka exclaims happily. Anakin only smirks, self-satisfied. “Of course we did,” he says smugly, even though this is debate and you never really know you’ve won until you know.

“Postings should be going up soon, then,” Ahsoka concludes, and starts refreshing the postings page on Tabroom instead. And that’s when they get the text.

 

**Tabroom <3**

Rd 4 Temple Skywalker & Tano NEG vs Coruscant Amidala & Kenobi AFF

Judge: Windu, Mace

160-017

Start time: 7:15 PM PST

 

“Skyguy…” she says, unable to believe her eyes. “We’re debating Coruscant AK.”

Anakin’s eyes widen comically, and she would have laughed except for the fact that they would have to debate Coruscant AK in half an hour and the prospect was absolutely terrifying.

Padmé Amidala and Obi-Wan Kenobi were seniors at Coruscant Academy and comprised the strongest debate team their school had seen in years. They had qualified to the state tournament three years in a row, placed in the top five for two of those years, and were currently tearing up the circuit in anticipation of another run at states. They were  _ legends _ on the circuit. Novices quaked in their boots upon even hearing their code.

“We’ll be fine,” Anakin says, in a completely unconvincing attempt at calm. “It’s just another round.”

“Skyguy. They went two tournaments without dropping a ballot. What’s to say this isn’t their third?”

At that moment, Rex wanders over to them. “Who’re you two hitting?” he asks, as if he couldn’t see the world falling apart around the two of them.

“Coruscant AK,” Ahsoka wails, and the debaters around them wince sympathetically.

Rex grimaces. “Oh. Good luck. They’re really good.”

“We know,” Anakin says tensely. Then, hesitantly, “I debated them once when I was a freshman.”

“How did it go?” Ahsoka asks. Skyguy hasn’t mentioned this before. Better late than never, she supposes.

“They were really good then too. They crushed me.” Anakin puts his head into his arms and then groans, “And they’ve only gotten better.”

“You guys are good too,” Rex promises. “Don’t forget that.”

“But are we three-time state qualifier good?” Ahsoka wonders.

“You don’t have to qualify three times to state to be good,” Rex scolds. “Come on. The battle’s not lost yet. Don’t lose hope. Even the best teams are beatable.”

“Please, tell us how to beat them,” Anakin begs. “Have you hit them before?”

Rex laughs. Then, turning serious, he answers, “Have really good impact framing in the rebuttal. Are you opp?” Ahsoka nods. “Write a long disadvantage and spend as much time answering case during the first neg speech. That’ll make Obi-Wan’s job really hard, and he’ll drop something that you can expand on during the neg block.”

“Got it,” Anakin says. “Thanks, Rex.”

“No problem.” He smiles and wanders off to find his brother. 

Anakin takes a deep inhale, shuts his computer, and turns to face his partner. “Okay, Snips. Are you ready to do this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Ahsoka answers. They rise from the floor and set off in the direction of the 160 building.

It’s always nice to be the first team in the room, but of course, Amidala and Kenobi beat them to it. Ahsoka and Anakin enter the room at 7:13, feeling flustered and a little nervous, and Coruscant AK is already there. They’ve claimed a table on the right side of the room and have their computer stand set up. They look absolutely perfect, not a single hair out of place or any sign of embarrassment.Their outfits are coordinated; Amidala is wearing a purple blouse and Kenobi a purple tie. Ahsoka  _ feels _ the lack of outfit coordination between her and Anakin in her soul.

“Hi,” Ahsoka says to the judge, feeling very self-conscious. “We’re Temple ST on the neg.”

“You can sit over there,” the judge says, pointing to a table on the left. Anakin and Ahsoka go through their usual routine of setting down their bags, putting together their computer stands, pulling out paper and pens, et cetera, but it all feels compounded by the weight of Coruscant AK’s watchful eyes. When they’re finally ready, Amidala shoots them a dazzling smile, stands, and begins to speak.

It just goes downhill from there. Amidala has a beautiful voice that hypnotizes Anakin for the first thirty seconds of her speech, which forces Ahsoka to subtly smack him into writing on his paper. He’s the one giving the first neg speech, he has to know what Amidala’s saying. Surprisingly, he gives a good speech, and then it’s Kenobi’s turn. 

Kenobi is honestly just as hypnotizing as Amidala, which really doesn’t make Ahsoka’s job easy. Still, she manages to give a speech that she would rank at a solid nine out of ten, and then Anakin’s rebuttal does everything Rex recommended. 

After Amidala finishes her final speech, she strides towards them with her dazzling smile and perfectly manicured hand outstretched. Ahsoka feels the urge to wipe her palm on her skirt. “That was a great round,” the senior says, and Anakin freezes on the spot. He nods mechanically, shakes her hand up and down like a robot, and only moves on to Kenobi when it’s clear that Amidala is moving on to talk to Ahsoka. Ahsoka also feels starstruck. She’s only a sophomore, and here is Padmé Amidala smiling at her and shaking her hand and telling her that she had a great round. 

Then the same thing repeats with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“It’s been really great to debate you,” she says as the seniors are packing up. “You guys are absolute legends.”

They laugh, humbly. “That’s so nice of you,” Amidala says. 

“I’m afraid we didn’t catch your names,” Kenobi adds. They’re so perfectly in sync that it hurts to watch. Three years of partnership does that to you, she supposes. She can only hope that she and Anakin achieve some semblance of their flex by next year. “The Tabroom texts only have last names.”

“I’m Ahsoka,” she answers, feeling extremely flattered that Coruscant AK- Coruscant AK!- wants to know her name. 

“I’m Anakin,” Skyguy says woodenly. Even though he’s shoving papers into his backpack, his eyes are still glued on Amidala. Ahsoka can’t recall any girl ever holding his attention for that long before.

“I’m Padmé, and my partner’s Obi-Wan,” Amidala says. “It’s been really nice to meet you.”

Ahsoka leaves the room feeling like her brain has been fried. Luckily, they don’t have another round until tomorrow. 

She and Anakin watch the seniors walk away from them, smiling and laughing and looking like the debate monarchs they are.

“I just want to say that I feel so honored,” Ahsoka says.

“Me too.”

* * *

Ahsoka checks the results page every five minutes. Finally, at 10:35 PM, results go up. She scrolls down to Temple ST, and gathering her courage, shifts the page to the right to view the result.

The decision reads  _ Neg. _


End file.
